Sam Zurich to succeed Harry O’Neale as PBA South Region manager
09/09/11
One of the PBA’s most successful regional competitors will now be on the other end of the business, running the show from behind the lanes rather than on the approaches.
Sam Zurich of Grant, Fla., a two-time PBA Tour titlist, a PBA Senior Tour winner and a 38-time PBA Regional champion, has been named PBA South Region manager, succeeding veteran Harry O’Neale who has retired after heading the South Region for more than 31 years.
Zurich, 55, has been assisting O’Neale for the past two years in preparation for his new role. His experiences as a competitor include 275 PBA Tour tournaments with seven television appearances including titles in the 1982 Showboat Doubles Classic with partner Nelson Burton Jr. and the 1983 Buffalo Open; 38 PBA Senior Tour events, with a win in the 2007 Senior Northern Illinois Classic in Waukegan, Ill., and 304 PBA Regionals including 38 titles.
Zurich also was selected as the 1982 Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner by his fellow competitors and he won the 2007 PBA Senior Rookie of the Year award.
Anthony LaCaze (pictured left) of Melrose Park, Ill., who won the 2009 Earl Anthony Memorial on his way to earning 2009-10 PBA Rookie of the Year honors, claimed his first PBA Regional title over the Labor Day weekend when he defeated Jimmy Cook of Indianapolis by 114 pins to win the joint PBA Central/Midwest Region’s 26th Annual Bud Light/Ft. Wayne Open at Georgetown Bowl in Ft. Wayne, Ind.
Also at Georgetown Bowl, red-hot Senior Regional competitor Kenny Parks (right) of Hammond, Ind., topped Harry Sullins of Chesterfield Township, Mich., to win his fourth senior regional title of the year in the Central/Midwest Region’s companion BowlingGift.com Senior Open.
LaCaze finished with a 9-3 match play record and a total of 4,480 pins for 20 games, including match play bonus pins, in his win over Cook. The title earned him a $2,500 first prize. Parks finished with a 9-3 match play record and a total of 4,439 pins for his eighth career Senior Regional title and $1,500.
In Elk Grove, Calif., Bryon Smith of Roseburg, Ore., and Noel Vazquez of Rancho Sacramento, Calif., were winners in a joint West/Northwest Regional with regular and senior divisions. Smith posted an 8-4 match play record and a 20-game total of 5,270 pins to win the Strikes@Elk Grove Open Sunday while Vazquez had an 8-2 match play record and knocked down 4,282 pins for 18 games to win the companion joint senior regional.
Smith, who earned $2,000, defeated Wayne Garber of Modesto, Calif., by 139 pins. Vazquez topped Kevin Foley of Reno, Nev., by 58 pins for the $1,400 senior first prize and his third senior regional title.
In Mooresville, N.C., Matt Taylor of Knightsdale, N.C., defeated Dick Allen of Columbia, S.C., 222-203, to win the PBA South Region Mooresville Budweiser Open at George Pappas Victory Lanes on Sunday. The tournament was a farewell event for 68-year-old PBA South Region Tournament Director Harry O’Neale, who has announced his retirement after more than 31 years at the helm of the regional program.
The South Regional title was Taylor’s first, making him eligible to enter the PBA Tournament of Champions next April at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas, Nev. He also earned $3,000.
In the PBA East Region, Pennsylvania native Kent Wagner (pictured with Strike Zone manager Savas Logothetides, left) of Bradenton, Fla., defeated Sammy Ventura of Syracuse, N.Y., 236-225, to win the Strike Zone Senior Open at Strike Zone Alleys in Pottsville, Pa., Sunday. Wagner, who hails from nearby Allentown, stayed in the northeast visiting family after the conclusion of the PBA Senior Tour and returned home with his 12th career regional title and a check for $1,500.
In the PBA Southwest Region, amateur Jason Duran of Greeley, Colo., defeated Frank Guccione of Castle Rock, Colo., 179-163, to win the Golden Bowl Miller Lite/Coors Open in Golden, Colo., Sunday. The win was Duran’s third in PBA Regional competition. He earned $2,400.
As the start of the winter bowling league season takes center stage, PBA Regional activity will be light over the next couple of weekends. The only tournaments scheduled for the Sept. 9-11 weekend are the PBA East Region Howell Lanes Senior Open in Howell, N.J., and the PBA Central Region’s G.A. Wintzer and Son Classic at Astro Lanes in Wapakoneta, Ohio.
Over the Sept. 16-18 weekend, the only activity is the joint PBA West/Northwest Red Bluff Open at Lariat Bowl in Red Bluff, Calif.
For complete Regional tournament schedules and entry information, click here.
Reigning PBA Player of the Year Mika Koivuniemi (left) has virtually locked up a berth in the inaugural WTBA World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the PBA with his eighth-place finish in the Korean Daejeon International Open which concluded Aug. 26. Koivuniemi paces the men’s field with 149 points, far ahead of Sean Rash’s 90 points and Osku Palermaa’s 77. Chris Barnes is fourth in the men’s points standings with 68 points.
On the women’s side, former PBA Women’s Tour competitor Carolyn Dorin-Ballard (pictured right with Kulick, left) is the leader with 145 points, 45 ahead of PBA Tour exempt player Kelly Kulick. Sweden’s Nina Flack is third with 85 points.
Two WBT events remain on the 2011 schedule, in Bangkok, Thailand, Sept. 24-30, and the AMF Australian Masters, Oct. 10-22, in Sydney. The top three men and top three women on the points lists will meet in the nationally-televised finals during the PBA World Series of Bowling at South Point Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center in Las Vegas in November.
The World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the PBA will pay a total prize fund of $40,000 - $10,000 for first, $6,000 for second and $4,000 for third in each division.
Reminder: Entries are now open for the third annual PBA World Series of Bowling, Nov. 4-20 at South Point Casino, Hotel and Bowling Center in Las Vegas. The base entry fee of $750 covers all PBA Tour events, excluding special competitions.
For complete details and entry information, click here. The multi-event tournament will pay a projected $1 million in prize money to a capacity field of 240 players.
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One of the PBA’s most successful regional competitors will now be on the other end of the business, running the show from behind the lanes rather than on the approaches. Sam Zurich of Grant, Fla., a two-time PBA Tour titlist, a PBA Senior Tour winner and a 38-time PBA Regional champion, has been named PBA South Region manager, succeeding veteran Harry O’Neale who has retired after heading the South Region for more than 31 years.
Zurich, 55, has been assisting O’Neale for the past two years in preparation for his new role. His experiences as a competitor include 275 PBA Tour tournaments with seven television appearances including titles in the 1982 Showboat Doubles Classic with partner Nelson Burton Jr. and the 1983 Buffalo Open; 38 PBA Senior Tour events, with a win in the 2007 Senior Northern Illinois Classic in Waukegan, Ill., and 304 PBA Regionals including 38 titles.
Zurich also was selected as the 1982 Steve Nagy Sportsmanship Award winner by his fellow competitors and he won the 2007 PBA Senior Rookie of the Year award.
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Former PBA Rookie of the Year Lacaze wins first regional title
Anthony LaCaze (pictured left) of Melrose Park, Ill., who won the 2009 Earl Anthony Memorial on his way to earning 2009-10 PBA Rookie of the Year honors, claimed his first PBA Regional title over the Labor Day weekend when he defeated Jimmy Cook of Indianapolis by 114 pins to win the joint PBA Central/Midwest Region’s 26th Annual Bud Light/Ft. Wayne Open at Georgetown Bowl in Ft. Wayne, Ind. Also at Georgetown Bowl, red-hot Senior Regional competitor Kenny Parks (right) of Hammond, Ind., topped Harry Sullins of Chesterfield Township, Mich., to win his fourth senior regional title of the year in the Central/Midwest Region’s companion BowlingGift.com Senior Open.
LaCaze finished with a 9-3 match play record and a total of 4,480 pins for 20 games, including match play bonus pins, in his win over Cook. The title earned him a $2,500 first prize. Parks finished with a 9-3 match play record and a total of 4,439 pins for his eighth career Senior Regional title and $1,500.
In Elk Grove, Calif., Bryon Smith of Roseburg, Ore., and Noel Vazquez of Rancho Sacramento, Calif., were winners in a joint West/Northwest Regional with regular and senior divisions. Smith posted an 8-4 match play record and a 20-game total of 5,270 pins to win the Strikes@Elk Grove Open Sunday while Vazquez had an 8-2 match play record and knocked down 4,282 pins for 18 games to win the companion joint senior regional.
Smith, who earned $2,000, defeated Wayne Garber of Modesto, Calif., by 139 pins. Vazquez topped Kevin Foley of Reno, Nev., by 58 pins for the $1,400 senior first prize and his third senior regional title.
In Mooresville, N.C., Matt Taylor of Knightsdale, N.C., defeated Dick Allen of Columbia, S.C., 222-203, to win the PBA South Region Mooresville Budweiser Open at George Pappas Victory Lanes on Sunday. The tournament was a farewell event for 68-year-old PBA South Region Tournament Director Harry O’Neale, who has announced his retirement after more than 31 years at the helm of the regional program.
The South Regional title was Taylor’s first, making him eligible to enter the PBA Tournament of Champions next April at Red Rock Lanes in Las Vegas, Nev. He also earned $3,000. In the PBA East Region, Pennsylvania native Kent Wagner (pictured with Strike Zone manager Savas Logothetides, left) of Bradenton, Fla., defeated Sammy Ventura of Syracuse, N.Y., 236-225, to win the Strike Zone Senior Open at Strike Zone Alleys in Pottsville, Pa., Sunday. Wagner, who hails from nearby Allentown, stayed in the northeast visiting family after the conclusion of the PBA Senior Tour and returned home with his 12th career regional title and a check for $1,500.
In the PBA Southwest Region, amateur Jason Duran of Greeley, Colo., defeated Frank Guccione of Castle Rock, Colo., 179-163, to win the Golden Bowl Miller Lite/Coors Open in Golden, Colo., Sunday. The win was Duran’s third in PBA Regional competition. He earned $2,400.
As the start of the winter bowling league season takes center stage, PBA Regional activity will be light over the next couple of weekends. The only tournaments scheduled for the Sept. 9-11 weekend are the PBA East Region Howell Lanes Senior Open in Howell, N.J., and the PBA Central Region’s G.A. Wintzer and Son Classic at Astro Lanes in Wapakoneta, Ohio.
Over the Sept. 16-18 weekend, the only activity is the joint PBA West/Northwest Red Bluff Open at Lariat Bowl in Red Bluff, Calif.
For complete Regional tournament schedules and entry information, click here.
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Koivuniemi expands World Bowling Tour points lead
Reigning PBA Player of the Year Mika Koivuniemi (left) has virtually locked up a berth in the inaugural WTBA World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the PBA with his eighth-place finish in the Korean Daejeon International Open which concluded Aug. 26. Koivuniemi paces the men’s field with 149 points, far ahead of Sean Rash’s 90 points and Osku Palermaa’s 77. Chris Barnes is fourth in the men’s points standings with 68 points. On the women’s side, former PBA Women’s Tour competitor Carolyn Dorin-Ballard (pictured right with Kulick, left) is the leader with 145 points, 45 ahead of PBA Tour exempt player Kelly Kulick. Sweden’s Nina Flack is third with 85 points.
Two WBT events remain on the 2011 schedule, in Bangkok, Thailand, Sept. 24-30, and the AMF Australian Masters, Oct. 10-22, in Sydney. The top three men and top three women on the points lists will meet in the nationally-televised finals during the PBA World Series of Bowling at South Point Hotel, Casino and Bowling Center in Las Vegas in November.
The World Bowling Tour Finals presented by the PBA will pay a total prize fund of $40,000 - $10,000 for first, $6,000 for second and $4,000 for third in each division.
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Entries now open for PBA World Series of Bowling
Reminder: Entries are now open for the third annual PBA World Series of Bowling, Nov. 4-20 at South Point Casino, Hotel and Bowling Center in Las Vegas. The base entry fee of $750 covers all PBA Tour events, excluding special competitions. For complete details and entry information, click here. The multi-event tournament will pay a projected $1 million in prize money to a capacity field of 240 players.
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